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CNN Live Today
Rules for Rebuilding in New Orleans; Bodies in Basement
Aired April 13, 2006 - 10:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A yardstick for many in New Orleans. The decision to rebuild or walk away could be three small feet.
Federal officials are out now with guidelines for rebuilding after the flood. The rules mean that many homes may have to be lifted 36 inches off the ground. Many people thought it would be much higher than that since water was up to many rooftops. Still, the process could cost a homeowner tens of thousands of dollars.
Louisiana's governor says at least residents know where they now stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D), LOUISIANA: I believe that people can use them to make their future plans. I know that was one of the big uncertainties. A lot of people just wanted to be able to make a responsible decision, and they need to have this solid information to be able to proceed and make their decisions accordingly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Our Gulf Coast correspondent, Susan Roesgen, joins us live now with reaction to the new guidelines.
What are you hearing in those neighborhoods, Susan?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: What I'm hearing is, OK, at least we've got a starting point, Daryn, I think, as the governor mentioned. And this neighborhood is pretty typical of what we're talking about.
It's in the Lakeview section of New Orleans, an area that got between six and eight feet of water. And as you can see, substantial wind damage, too.
Now, this home, like the home right next door, has a "DM" right next to the door. That means it's going to be demolished. And we understand it's going to be demolished today. Whoever lived here has decided, that's it, I'm getting out, I'm not waiting for another potential flood. That's it.
This home over here that we're going to see in just a second, this owner has not decided what she wants to do yet. She may try to rebuild, in which case she'll have to raise her house in order to qualify for flood insurance, or she might also decide to tear it down. These houses are exactly what FEMA is talking about. They're called slab on grade (ph). They're built flat on a slab of concrete, no elevation, no piers, no pilings underneath, just flat on the ground. And these are the homes that got the most damage.
What FEMA is saying now is that if a home has 50 percent or more structural damage, it can either be torn down or it will have to be raised for homeowners to qualify for flood insurance, which, of course, as you know, Daryn, in this area you've got to have. But look at what a difference it makes to be on one side of the street versus on the other side of the street.
The homes right across the street are on a natural rise. They will not have to be elevated at all. They're already three feet above base flood elevation.
So, Daryn, a lot of homeowners have a lot of questions, they have a lot of things -- decisions that they have to make now. But at least they know a number, three feet, or the base flood elevation as it was pointed out in 1984, the last time the FEMA flood maps came out.
KAGAN: So how much on average did it cost to homeowners to raise the house three feet?
ROESGEN: That, Daryn, is the $40,000 question. They say that it can cost about $40,000 to raise a house just one foot and several thousand dollars more for every foot after that.
KAGAN: Susan Roesgen, live from New Orleans.
Thank you.
We continue with the topic, asking just how much difference will the three feet make in the low-lying areas of New Orleans. What happens if another big hurricane comes in? It could happen, of course.
Our meteorologist, Chad Myers, takes a look at that.
Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know what -- Daryn, good morning -- some of those homes were under 12 feet of water. So...
KAGAN: So three feet?
MYERS: ... what good a three-foot piling is going to do in some of those areas I really don't know. But here is the deal.
A lot of people think about New Orleans being below sea level, and some parts really are. But the problem is, did you know that the Mississippi River is 11 feet above sea level? It's 11 feet higher as it goes by New Orleans before it dumps itself into the Mississippi Delta and into the Gulf of Mexico.
So let's take a line here. Let's draw sea level somewhere here across New Orleans, and that's it. The entire area here from the Gentilly Ridge, the Metairie Ridge, that is all below sea level. And in many spots, 10 feet below sea level and 20 feet below the Mississippi River.
So we can't really do worst-case scenario here, but let us show you what happened with Katrina. We'll go to our maps now, we'll go to our weather maps.
Everywhere that you see the numbers -- this map actually came from NOAA. It was a satellite estimate of how much water was on the ground. Everywhere that you see green, that was seven feet of water or more.
It's kind of hard to draw on that green, but you get the big circle there.
Now, that's Gentilly. Here's the Gentilly Ridge I talked about. That's so far off. Gentilly Ridge right through there.
That's the part that wasn't really under water. And then the Metairie Ridge over there.
Let me zoom into a couple of spots here for you, because Superdome right about there, and then you've got the Garden District under some water, two to three feet of water. A little bit farther to the north, here is where you obviously see the problem.
The university, big up here, that not under water. Completely out of water, completely above sea level. And then you have the greens and the blues here, eight to 10 feet below level on the water.
Here is another cross-section. Here is the Mississippi River, 11 feet above sea level. But we're not going to get that to stop.
The water right across the Gentilly Ridge, right back into Lake Pontchartrain. And so many areas here by the New Orleans, Louisiana, University, that wasn't under water at all. But three feet.
Let's say we raise every house three feet. It doesn't have to happen, because Susan Roesgen told you why. Every house that's in the light blue here will be protected because that got less than three feet of water. Everywhere you see the darker or the darkest blue -- this here is six feet, and everywhere you see the darker blue through here, that's nine feet of water.
So, what a three-foot rise is going to do for many of those homes I'm not quite sure.
KAGAN: Thanks for showing us with the graphics there. Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: Well, based on that information, some critics are saying that rebuilding the guidelines, they won't keep a lot of homes out of danger. So why three feet? Why not four? Others say the new rules could kick the city's comeback into high gear.
Joining us is J. Robert Hunter with the Consumer Federation of America. He also is a former federal insurance administrator.
And in New Orleans, we will get to a moment to Latoya Cantrell (ph), president of one of the neighborhood improvement associations.
But first, Bob, to you, three feet. What do you think of this number?
J. ROBERT HUNTER, CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA: It's crazy. It makes no sense.
If the levees protected the 100-year storm, there's no need to have elevation. If the levees don't, then you need a lot more than three feet, as your maps show.
You need some places 10, 12 feet. And so these -- these things make no sense. They should not be in there.
It's made up. Why did it take seven months to make up a number like three feet and just stick it out there? Clearly, they're under pressure.
KAGAN: You're a former bureaucrat. You know how this stuff works.
HUNTER: Yes, but it makes no sense. They should apply the science. They shouldn't be doing this.
This is inviting people to come back in and build unsafely. And in addition, charging very low rates based upon unsafe building. It means that we as taxpayers all over the country are subsidizing unwise construction in New Orleans.
KAGAN: Well, could this be an endorsement? You were kind of making mention of this, but could this be an endorsement of the rebuilt levees, saying, you know what, they're going to do better, so things don't have to be as high?
HUNTER: I'm putting on my glasses because I'd like to read from the flood recovery guidance that came out yesterday. It says -- and this is by FEMA -- "In fact, based upon our analysis recently completed by the Corps of Engineers, the flood control system will not meet the standards necessary for providing protection against the 100- year flood."
So, the Corps of Engineers is telling us it's going to be at least two feet too low. So we're going to end up inviting people back in to build houses that are unsafe, subsidized by the taxpayer through low-cost flood insurance.
KAGAN: So, are you suggesting that there are just certain parts of New Orleans that they should say, don't rebuild?
HUNTER: Look, I was born in New Orleans. And my heart says, let's rebuild the whole thing just as it was, such a beautiful and great place. On the other hand, my head says, you can't do it.
You can't do it that way. You can't invite people back into death and destruction and running off to places in Texas. You need to do it right.
KAGAN: How much of this do you think is political correctness? Right now the mayor's race is going on. You have over 20 people running. Not a single one of those candidates has come out and said there are certain parts of that city that shouldn't be rebuilt.
HUNTER: Of course it's political correctness. And FEMA is just feeding into it. They're trying to make up for their previous mistakes by making another huge mistake, inviting people to build unwisely and having the taxpayers all over the country pay for it.
KAGAN: Some of the city officials saying, you know, finally we have a number, finally now people can get started and rebuilding and bring the city back. It's time. This is going on too long.
HUNTER: Do you want a number that's real or do you want a number...
KAGAN: I do.
HUNTER: ... that means nothing? And what -- three feet is nothing. It means nothing. It's just made up. And FEMA should know better.
KAGAN: And as flood insurance works, you were saying this ends up being on the taxpayers' bill?
HUNTER: Absolutely. The taxpayers are going to now give very cheap insurance to people who go up to three feet. And by the way, most of the people won't have to go up to the three feet because New Orleans was supposed to enforce elevating those homes if they didn't -- if they were damaged 50 percent, but New Orleans has been giving out en mass 49 percent rulings when people had greater than 50 percent damage according to the engineers.
KAGAN: Robert Hunter, thanks for your expertise and looking at a number we saw this morning. And it certainly got our attention. Thank you.
HUNTER: OK.
KAGAN: And we're trying to talk also to Latoya Cantrell (ph). She is with one of the neighborhood association heads. We want to find out what it means in these specific neighborhoods, if they welcome the number and if it will indeed encourage people to start rebuilding soon.
Remember the story yesterday about Michael Brown may be going to work for one of the parishes to help them get through FEMA red tape? Well, a new version of that story.
The ex-FEMA director now says he won't be a paid consultant for Louisiana St. Bernard Parish, but he says he will offer his advice and he'll do it for free. Some residents protested the idea of hiring Brown. He was at the helm during FEMA's botched response to Hurricane Katrina.
Brown had been scheduled to meet with officials today. He offered to help the parish cut through the red tape to get federal help. That meeting will go on without Brown.
Coverage during LIVE FROM will take place at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
The bus driver getting the blame today. You might remember this horrific bus explosion. It happened during Hurricane Rita evacuations in Texas last September. Twenty-three people died.
Now this from the Dallas County Sheriff's Department documents, that the deaths could have been prevented if the driver had inspected his vehicle before the trip and if he had known enough English to direct passengers to safety. Plus, officials say the driver was driving with a Mexican license. That is illegal. A grand jury has refused to indict the driver, but his boss is still facing charges.
A developing story we told you about earlier out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, six bodies discovered yesterday in the small town of Leola, which is in Amish country.
Reported David Vagnoni with affiliate WHTM joins us now with the latest.
David, good morning.
DAVID VAGNONI, REPORTER, WHTM: Well, good morning, Daryn.
As you mentioned, police not telling us too much information at this point, but we have confirmed at least six bodies found dead. They were found inside a house in nearby Leola, and police are treating this as murder investigation, largely because most of the bodies were found wrapped inside in sheets, in blankets, in comforters. We're also told that blood was found on the walls.
So certainly a horrific crime here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We're waiting on an 11:30 press conference from police. We hope to have some more information by then. We were told just a few moments ago that police have been interviewing a person they're calling a "person of interest," but again, any more information about that is not being released at this hour -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So, no word on a tip about how officials were tipped off to these bodies?
VAGNONI: Officials first found out yesterday afternoon, actually. A family friend tipped off police and went into the home with police after the husband of this family, the husband of the wife that lived at this home, he was in New York and waiting on the family to join him. And when he had not heard from them for several days, he called a family friend to go check in on the family. And that's when the discovery was made. KAGAN: So they think the victims are related?
VAGNONI: Yes. We believe it is a family, but, again, this information is really being kept confidential, close to the vest by police. That's the latest information that we have. But the coroner, who usually in this area is very open and up front about situations like this, in this case has been very tight-lipped.
KAGAN: OK. You said 11:30 -- oh, a few minutes. Just like 20 minutes a news conference on this one?
VAGNONI: That's correct. By the bottom of the hour we hope to have more information -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Well check back in with you.
David Vagnoni, thank you.
Cool under pressure. A little girl finds a hero on the other end of the phone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you scared at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You didn't sound scared on the tape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: I'll talk with the girl and the 911 operator who saved the day. A case of a 911 call and a child going correctly.
And how about some trans fats with those fries? Americans get more of the artery-clogging fats than the Europeans. You can chalk it up to bad taste when we get back to the news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: If you drive a Ford SUV, listen up. The car maker is recalling the 2005 Escape and Mercury Mariner. Ford wants to adjust the padding on the driver's side to help prevent injuries during a collision. About 134,000 vehicles are affected.
Put the pedal to the metal in one muscle car, and it might just stay there. Dozen of Mustang Cobra owners say that's what's happened to them. Form confirmed the gas pedal can get stuck on the carpet of the 2003 and 2004 models. Owners of nearly 20,000 Mustang Cobras will be mailed details on how to get their problem fixed for free.
Toyota is out with a recall of its own. About 29,000 Lexus vehicles in North America need fixing. There's a problem with the device that winds the seatbelt. The recall also affects the luxury cars in Japan and Europe.
Americans apparently are getting too much of a bad thing, the artery-clogging goo called trans fats. Listen to this from a Danish study. American fast-food restaurants serve up more trans fats than those in Europe. It is found in the partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Companies like McDonalds and KFC say Americans prefer the taste of foods fried in the oil. Critics say companies use it because it's cheap.
A junk food ban is blocked in Illinois. It is drawing -- back to the drawing board now. It says the state's governor, his proposal to prohibit the sale of soda, chips and candy in elementary and middle school vending machines was voted down 10-1. Lawmakers are saying the plan should go further and address the quality of foods served in the cafeteria as well.
It's one symptom that is hard to miss, swollen, puffy jaws. The worst mumps outbreak in 20 years spreading from Iowa to six other Midwestern states. Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota all report outbreaks. The CDC suspects infected airline passengers may have helped spread that disease.
To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
It sounds like a job for Batman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would go like this, and then I'd sit up a little bit, and then I'd see it and I'd cover up again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Well, you'd be freaked out, too, if you had flying furry fellows buzzing your bed in the middle of the night. We're talking bats. The story coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The number 100 means perfection in many parts of life. Have you been enjoying these snacks? These little snack things, 100 calories. I have enjoyed them on many times, I must say.
Susan Lisovicz is saying, this is a huge niche in the snack and food business.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Daryn, I go for the 64 ounces, big mega bags. And then I consume a hefty portion of it. And that's why you're svelte and...
KAGAN: No, no, let me be clear. Let me be clear. I went to my producer Sarah (ph), and she has the nice healthy Wheat Thins. But really, if you try some of the cookie ones, the Oreo cookie ones and the Chips Ahoy, very tasty. Because I'm not big into low fat.
LISOVICZ: Well, this is -- you know, Daryn, this is music to the ears of Kraft. And this is exactly why this is a sensation in a very short amount of time, these 100-calorie snack packs. Kraft says it created the category four years ago. And it is churning them out.
Well, there you see it, the 100-calorie packs of ar Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Nabisco crackers. And they have been tipping the scales, bringing in more than $100 million last year alone.
This week, shipping out more options for you to nibble on, new packs of chips and Wheat Thins, multigrain chips. Frito-Lay, of course, also getting in on the act. It's doing the 100-calorie snack, launching mini bites of Doritos, both the nacho cheese and cool ranch flavor, by the way.
The 100-calorie Sun Chips coming soon, Daryn. Taking this all down?
KAGAN: Yes. I think with the sun chips, I'm just going to stick to the big -- the big bag.
LISOVICZ: The big bag. You just can't eat 100 of them.
KAGAN: No, you can't. You can't.
LISOVICZ: A hundred calories of them.
KAGAN: But why is 100 the magic number?
LISOVICZ: It's because it's just easy. You know, it's an easy number in a nation of overweight consumers, lots of folks who like to have their portions counted out for them. It just simply makes it easy for them.
And let's face it, when you have 100 calories, you have those little bags, you don't feel so guilty. The problem is, of course, is you eat more of them.
KAGAN: We eat more of them.
LISOVICZ: But, you know, Kraft, Doritos, they don't mind when you do that either.
KAGAN: Sure. It's just more sales.
LISOVICZ: Exactly.
KAGAN: Yes, you're not supposed to eat four of these. That's the idea.
LISOVICZ: Exactly.
KAGAN: Well, if it works for the little snacks, what about for beverages?
LISOVICZ: Well, they're catching on, too.
Coca-Cola, which is in your back yard there...
KAGAN: Yes.
LISOVICZ: ... it's promoting mini cans, if you will, of Coca- Cola Classic, Sprite, Cherry Coke. There you see it.
The cans are 8 ounces instead of 12, 100 calories versus the 12- ounce can of regular Coke is 155. We can do the math. It all adds up. We're getting into the bathing suit season, Daryn.
KAGAN: Oh, you had to go there.
LISOVICZ: I did.
KAGAN: You had to go there.
LISOVICZ: The moment of truth is fast approaching.
KAGAN: OK. We'll put that for another day.
Meanwhile, let's look at the market.
(MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: So what do you feel -- what do you feel about bats?
LISOVICZ: Don't like them.
KAGAN: Don't like them. Not bullish.
You might not want to watch. But don't go far.
LISOVICZ: Let me get my stake.
KAGAN: Can you hear the Batman music?
LISOVICZ: I do. I love that.
KAGAN: Watch the piece. It looks like the bats are dancing to the Batman music. I swear it's true. Stay with me.
We're talking about things that go bump in the night. How about bats flying in your bedroom? I know, it sounds creepy. But it's interesting.
Miguel Almaguer of our affiliate KCRA in Sacramento has more on this creepy home invasion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JANICE ENGLISH, SACRAMENTO RESIDENT: Right here, through here. It went from there all the way through, and then it went underneath that gable and back.
MIGUEL ALMAGUER, REPORTER, KCRA (voice over): Janice English says she saw at least two of them, small bats soaring through her bedroom, nearly clipping her head as she tried to sleep.
ENGLISH: I would go like this, and then I would sit up a little bit. And then I would see it and then I'd cover up again.
ALMAGUER: This is what experts say is likely nesting in English' house, as well as hundreds of other homes in the Sacramento region, the Mexican freetail bats migrate into northern California this time of year.
PATRICK FOY, CALIF. DEPT. OF FISH & GAME: So you're doing the right thing by trying to find those holes and patch them up.
ALMAGUER: And the Department of Fish and Game says the freetail likely migrated into this midtown home.
FOY: Sacramento is a haven for bats of all species. And Mexican freetail bats are one of the most common ones.
ENGLISH: It's creepy! It's really unnerving. I mean, it's unpleasant. I mean, I didn't want to sleep up here last night.
ALMAGUER: English, who not only sees but hears the bats squealing inside her walls, has tried calling exterminators, but they're expensive, and there's no guarantee. Experts say the Mexican freetails will continue to migrate, but they are dangerous. That is, unless they bite.
CORKY QUIRK, BAT CONSERVANCY: Rabies would be the only other issue. And if you don't put yourself in a situation where you can be bit, then it shouldn't be an issue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Oh, goodness. Bad dream. A bat dream is what that was.
Experts say that the bat problem partly due to the lingering wet weather in the area.
Well, we move on to heroes. And our hero is a 911 operator, the only lifeline to a frightened little girl and her unconscious mother. We're going to meet the whole gang. They're with us this hour. And we'll get to them in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Live to Leola, Pennsylvania. An arrest has been made in the discovery of six bodies in a basement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The six victims are identified as follows: Emily Wise, age 64, of 81 East Main Street; Wanda Wise, age 45, 81 East Main street in Leola; Arlene Wise, in her 30s, also of 81 East Main Street; Skyler Wise, a male, age 19, from 81 East Main Street; Chance Wise, a male, age five, from 81 East Main Street; and Jesse James Wise, a male, age 17, from 81 East Main Street in Leola.
According to the Lancaster County forensic pathologist Dr. Wayne Kay Ross (ph), the cause of death in the six victims is listed as multiple traumatic injuries, and the manner of death is listed as homicide.
The arrest culminated from an intensive all-night investigative effort by police and members of the Lancaster County major crimes unit, along with assistance from the Lancaster County district attorney's office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good my name. My name is Don Totero (ph), district attorney of Lancaster County.
Very briefly, I would just like to take the opportunity to commend the outstanding effort put in over the past 20 hours by the law enforcement community here in Lancaster County, led by chief Bowman and his department at Eastland Peter (ph) Township, as well as members of the state police, the Lancaster County major crimes unit, the Lancaster County forensic unit, detectives with the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, and municipal officers from over a dozen police departments in Lancaster County all came together, and they have essentially been working nonstop since the initial call came in yesterday in mid-afternoon hours.
As I say, they've done an outstanding job in piecing this case together, culminating in the arrests that have been announced this morning.
Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, most of the details -- as we say, it's an ongoing investigation. We were called and followed up, wanted to check on the welfare of a missing person. And as events transpired from there, that's how we've run the investigation at this point.
The relationships of the people, actually, would be -- there is a relationship in that the deceased, Emily Wise, would be the grandmother of the accused, and the other deceased at this point would be cousins or some type of blood relationship along those lines from what we have.
No. That's not his mother.
QUESTION: They're cousins or brothers and sisters?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually at this point, what we have is cousins.
QUESTION: All cousins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.
My understanding is two daughters to Emily were among the victims and two sons, Skyler and Chance, were also victims. And they would have been sons to one of the daughters, too. So they would have been grandchildren to Emily.
QUESTION: We were told Weiss called Adam, this man Adam, to check on the family because he was away on business in New York. Is that true? Did Weiss call from the area? (INAUDIBLE) to say, hey, I'm concerned about my family. Can you check it out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. That's a different person. There was no (INAUDIBLE). No, Mr. Weiss did call from New York City and asked another individual to check on his family members.
KAGAN: So we've been listening in to this news conference from Leola, Pennsylvania. It appears that there have been arrested made in this case, six members of the same family found what sounds like bludgeoned to death in the family home. Someone called and asked them to check on a family member, and that discovery was made, and now the arrest appears to be another family member. That case continues to be investigated there in Leola, Pennsylvania.
I Want to move on to a story where something worked right. We bring you plenty of stories where things don't work. Here is a story where the system worked. This is a far cry from the 9/11 horror story we heard this week. It again involves a Michigan dispatcher, seen here being honored for his good work. His name is Tom Stawski. And then just listen to what happened when 6-year-old Hunter Bishop tried to get help for her mother. Hunter made this 911 call from a cell phone, but she wasn't able to give her address to Tom, the dispatcher.
Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Are you in the garage?
CALLER: Yeah, I'm in the garage.
911 OPERATOR: I want you to look at your mom's license plate on the back of the car.
CALLER: OK.
911 OPERATOR: Look at your mom's license plate, OK?
CALLER: OK.
911 OPERATOR: Do you see it?
CALLER: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: I want you to read me off those letters.
CALLER: Um, it's -- the top or the bottom? The big ones? 911 OPERATOR: Those real big letters and numbers. I want you to read me that off.
CALLER: OK.
911 OPERATOR:
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Well, we have more of that call in a minute. First I want to introduce Hunter Bishop, her mother, Linda, and the dispatcher, Tom Stawski. They're joining us live from Detroit.
Good morning, everyone.
Hunter, let me start with you. OK, so mommy is not feeling well, and you're home with your little brother and mom, and you know you have to do something. How did you know to call 911?
HUNTER BISHOP, MADE 911 CALL: I don't know.
KAGAN: You just knew that's what you were supposed to do?
BISHOP: Yes.
KAGAN: So you called 911 and you get Tom, who now you've met.
Tom, let's bring you in. Clearly as soon as you pick up the call, you realize you're talking to a child.
TOM STAWSKI, 911 DISPATCHER, MACOMB COUNTY, MI: That's correct. I did, yes.
KAGAN: And what special skills kick in with your training of how to handle calls from a child?
STAWSKI: We're trained to downplay the speaking level a little bit, don't use as big as words. You want to talk to them like you were a child, so they speak clear and concise and try to communicate with them to find out the information you need.
KAGAN: The tragic call that we had featured earlier this week has a young boy calling into a 911 operator, and she thinks it's a hoax. So how you tell -- have you gotten calls from kids before that are hoaxes? And how do you tell the difference?
STAWSKI: Yes, we've got a lot of calls (INAUDIBLE) Macomb County Sheriff's Office. We just have to treat each call like it is a real emergency, and we have investigate it. If we get a call from a young juvenile, we still send the cars out there to investigate, then the deputies or responding officers, once they get to the house, they'll deem it whether it's a true emergency or not.
KAGAN: So this call from hunter comes in on a cell phone, which has a complication that many of us that aren't in your business might not know. What's the problem when someone calls in on a cell phone? STAWSKI: That's correct. The call was received on a 911 cell phone -- or cell phone via 911 that Hunter used. The information, the address an phone number, did not come up on our screen. So what we need to do is try to ascertain the address where the ambulance was needed. And we try to think outside the box any way we can get a child such as Hunter to give us the address.
KAGAN: So that means it's going to take a little detective work. We're going to listen in to a little bit of this 911 call in just a moment.
First I want to bring our viewers up to date on a story we're watching out of Alexandria, Virginia. Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person to be charged in a 9/11-related crime has taken the stand in his own defense at the penalty phase of this trial. And we have reporters inside that courtroom. We'll get to that story and we'll hear from the reporters on what he has to say in just a moment.
First, though, let's get back to our story that worked out in Detroit, Michigan. And this is more than a 911 call, this is Tom Stawski, who we see live with us right now, talking to Hunter, who's six years old, trying to help her figure out how she can give him a clue as to where their house is. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Hunter...
CALLER: Yeah.
911 OPERATOR: Listen to me. Does your mom drive a car.
CALLER: Yeah, she drives a Grand Prix.
911 OPERATOR: She drives a Grand Prix.
CALLER: Yeah.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Are you on a cordless phone? Does it have a cord to it?
CALLER: We, we -- no, it's broken, but um...
911 OPERATOR: Can you walk around the house with your phone?
CALLER: Well, yeah.
911 OPERATOR: You can?
CALLER: Yeah.
911 OPERATOR: Where does your mom park her car at?
CALLER: In our garage.
911 OPERATOR: Can you take the phone and take me with you and go to your garage?
CALLER: Yeah.
911 OPERATOR: OK, go do that for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And we're back live.
Hunter, I have another question for you. You don't sound like you're scared at all when you're talking on 911 there. How were you able not to be scared?
BISHOP: Well, I just stayed calm and listened to him, and I was sure that they would send an ambulance there.
KAGAN: Have the grownups told you that you did a really good job?
BISHOP: Yes.
KAGAN: Because, you know, you did.
BISHOP: Thank you.
KAGAN: You did a great job giving the information on the phone to Tom there.
Mom, let's bring your in. First of all, how are you feeling?
LINDA BISHOP: I'm good. Thank you.
KAGAN: Things are good and you got the care you needed, and we're back on track to good health here?
LINDA BISHOP: Correct. Thank you.
KAGAN: Yes, and you must be very proud of your daughter.
LINDA BISHOP: Oh, absolutely.
KAGAN: And, Tom, you did a great job, too, obviously, because you were given an award.
STAWSKI: Yes, I was. It was received yesterday, and it was nice to receive.
KAGAN: But really just a day at the office doing your job, huh? Whoever calls in...
STAWKSI: Just doing my job, yes, doing my job day to day. That's what we do for a living as 911 dispatchers. And this call with Hunter luckily worked out great with her. She was able to stay cool, calm and collected with me. She's the real hero of this. She did a great job getting me the information I needed. KAGAN: She certainly did. And you know, when the other story happened earlier this week, it was so heartbreaking to see when it didn't work. We really appreciate the opportunity to see the system when it does work, and that somebody really can talk to kids in the right way and get the help that's needed to their homes. So thank you for that, and thank you to all three of you for sharing your story.
Thank you.
KAGAN: As we move on, asleep at the wheel. A cabbie -- wait until you see this -- caught on tape taking a catnap. But he's at the wheel. We'll going to tell you and show you more dash-cam tales, when LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Here are the developing stories we're keeping our eye on.
First out of Pennsylvania -- Leola, Pennsylvania -- six members of the same family bludgeoned to death in this Pennsylvania home. Another member, a young member of the family, has been arrested in connection with those six murders.
Also, we're keeping an eye on Alexandria, Virginia. We're getting word that Zacarias Moussaoui has now taken the stand in his own defense in the death penalty phase of his trial. Our Jeanne Meserve is in there monitoring those comments, and she'll be out in a moment to tell us what he had to say.
Meanwhile, a story from today that you probably are not going to forget. Powerful statements earned her very powerful enemies, but now the story of a newswoman in the Middle East, and she is not backing down. A car bomb left her horribly wounded.
Our Brent Sadler has the story of someone who is known now as the woman of steel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To many in the world, this woman is a huge television news star; to millions of viewers, a kind of Barbara Walters of the Middle East, always strong- willed, often making enemies.
On her talk shows in Lebanon, May Chidiac fearlessly trampled on leaders, if not nations. The last broadcast assault came six months ago. The target of her scorn was Lebanon's powerful neighbor Syria, which was suspected of several assassinations in Lebanon. All of the victims had been vocal critics of Syria. And so now, after a murderous act, some wonder if May Chidiac's Syria struck too deeply.
MAY CHIDIAC, LEBANESE TV ANCHOR: I heard a blast, and I felt it at the same time. I was still awake. I saw like a black snow falling over me.
SADLER: A bomb ripped through Chidiac's SUV. Somehow, she crawled away, her hair ablaze, her body sliced to shreds.
CHIDIAC: I sew my hand attached to my arm with a small piece of skin, but -- so I hoped that they could save my hand.
SADLER: In fact, she would lose her hand and half of her arm. The bomb also tore away most of her left leg. Terrible burns and shrapnel wounds cover much her body.
CHIDIAC: I still have pieces of metal in the face near the cheek here and all over my body.
SADLER: She says now there are times when she's wondered if death would have been better.
(on camera): You can't always be so upbeat. There must be times when you feel despair?
CHIDIAC: Of course. There's time when I feel despair, there's time when I cry, when I feel pain, a lot of pain. This is my fifth month of treatment.
SADLER (voice-over): For months, Chidiac's been subjected to grueling physical therapy at a special rehabilitation center near Paris.
CHIDIAC: It's putting so much pressure on me. He's making me crazy.
SADLER: When the pain is too much, she says, she imagines the bomber who nearly killed her. And to overcome the pain, she says, is to defy him.
CHIDIAC: I imagine I have the enemy in front of me and I have to look at him.
SADLER: Her bomber, she imagines, is Syria, suspecting her sharp tongue went too far.
CHIDIAC: No proof. Just, I'm guessing. But you know, who is enemy in Lebanon for the time being? It's Syria. And we were people talking against Syria.
SADLER: Chidiac was fighting then, she says, and vows the attack will not deter her when she returns to the screen.
CHIDIAC: Never. It won't be me. It won't be me. I'm a fighter.
SADLER: She is learning literally how to rewire herself, how to get her brain and her remaining damaged muscles to control a new prosthetic hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentle. Wow!
CHIDIAC: I think that some angels are protecting me, and I hope they will keep on doing that. SADLER: May Chidiac, who may have paid dearly for her strong voice, vows to prove she will not be silenced every step of the way.
CHIDIAC: Hey! It's the first time I do it.
SADLER: Brent Sadler, CNN, Velanton (ph), Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Now, that is an inspirational woman and story.
Still ahead, crazy drivers caught on tape, straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Now some video that is going to grab your attention. A school bus driver suspected of drunk driving.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: we'll move on to another one. Let's see if we can find a...
JENNIFER REDDY, BUS DRIVER: I'm not going to pretend I'm drunk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Yes, Tennessee police agreed with the woman and the bus driver was charged. A dashboard camera, by the way, caught that all on tape. But those cameras aren't being used just by police now. Consumer correspondent Greg Hunter has hair-raising examples of bad driving caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was another busy morning on New York's Long Island Expressway. Thousands of commuters making their way to work.
BRYAN PACELLI, CAR CRASH VICTIM: I should have been dead. There's no doubt. I still don't understand how I'm not. Don't understand it.
HUNTER: The last thing Bryan Pacelli, a father of two remembers, is traffic slowing down. Bryan is driving the black Audi. Watch the semi-trailer on the right. All of a sudden, cutting through two lanes of traffic. Bryan's car is trapped.
PACELLI: They put a blanket over me and I saw them starting to cut up the car. I remember that. I remember...
HUNTER (on camera): When you saw them starting to cut you out of the car?
PACELLI: ... Yes, I knew something was bad, I knew it was bad. HUNTER (voice-over): But it could have been worse. Safety experts say that all too often, the drivers of private cars in accidents with trucks are larger vehicles, don't live to tell their story.
Bryan Pacelli was lucky to survive, although he doesn't remember much of the accident. But he knows exactly what happened thanks to a video camera installed on the windshield of this bus traveling in the left lane. The bus ended up pushing Bryan's car under the semi- trailer.
(on camera): Every year, the most accidents in New York state happen in Long Island. In one year, there were 45,000 crashes. Many of those happened right here behind me on the Long Island Expressway. More and more of those wrecks are being caught on video and it teaches us two things: what happened and, more importantly, how they might be prevented.
(voice-over): For example, driving in the rain.
Distracted driving, or not keeping a safety distance from the vehicle in front. Mistakes, which could be avoided. Bill Schoolman owns a New York transportation company. A few years ago, he installed cameras in all his vehicles.
BILL SCHOOLMAN, PRESIDENT, CLASSIC TRANSPORTATION: It's a great business decision because we save lots of money on our insurance and all direct costs also of operating a bus. You save money on front ends, tires, fuel. There's lots of direct benefits that operationally you get when people drive more safely.
HUNTER: Schoolman says he saves up to $250,000 a year on insurance. He's so enthusiastic about the cameras, he's now working as a part-time consultant for the company that makes them. The cameras help him keep an eye on his drivers.
SCHOOLMAN: This camera, when mounted on the windshield, is the cop in their rearview mirror. They drive more safely. And this camera is on all the time and watching.
HUNTER: That metaphorical cop in the rear-view mirror didn't keep this taxi driver from dozing off at the wheel while he was working. Watch what happens next. As soon as he falls asleep, he loses control. It's hard to believe he walked away unhurt. But when his boss saw the video, he lost his job.
We asked Joan Claybrook, a long-time road safety advocate and former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to look at some video, like this one from a camera in this New Jersey limousine. The driver says the car on the left was trying to cut him off and almost crashed into him. He slammed into the pole on the side of the road. The car caught fire.
JOAN CLAYBROOK, PRESIDENT, PUBLIC CITIZEN: Incredible, just coming out of nowhere and passing on the right.
HUNTER (on camera): Totally out of control.
CLAYBROOK: Right, going too fast.
HUNTER: And then blows up.
CLAYBROOK: Blows up.
HUNTER (voice-over): How did this end? The limo driver jammed his brakes on to avoid crashing into the car. The driver of the car that blew up walked away with no real injuries.
Next, we asked Claybrook to review Bryan Pacelli's accident.
CLAYBROOK: I don't think in all the years that I've driven, I've never seen a truck behave that way. This video tells the real story, that's why it's so valuable.
HUNTER: Safety experts, like Claybrook believe video cameras can help keep all of us safer.
CLAYBROOK: I think can you use it for training of drivers because it will reveal what the mistakes are, what the problems are. Two, you can use it for the police to figure out exactly what happened at a crash.
HUNTER: Bryan says the video has changed his view of other drivers.
(on camera): What does this video want to make you do?
PACELLI: Makes me angry. Makes me want to, you know, it's made -- it's turned me into a safety advocate. There's plenty of people like me every day next to those, you know, trucks or buses. That was a loaded gun rolling down the street and nobody knew.
HUNTER (voice-over): Greg Hunter, CNN, Old Westbury, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And be sure to join Paula Zahn weeknights 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific here on CNN.
(MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: I want to go live to Alexandria, Virginia. Zacarias Moussaoui has been on the stand in his own defense in the death penalty phase of his trial.
Let's go to Jeanne Meserve who was in the courtroom when this started -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, Moussaoui has been on the stand for about a half hour now. The conversation thus far has been about his legal representation. From what we could infer from the way things went in the courtroom, Moussaoui provided his lawyers with some questions that he was ready to answer. The first was about a change of venue. Moussaoui said he was disappointed they had not filed for a change of venue to move the case away from this courthouse so close to the Pentagon. He suggested that his lawyers had not done so because they were interested in fame.
The second point he made was that he was very distraught that he did not have a Muslim attorney. He said he had made it clear from the outset that this is what he wanted, and that there had been one individual from Texas who had offered his services pro bono, but that his legal defense had mandated that this Muslim attorney be under their supervision, and he rejected that.
Once again, Moussaoui saying he wasn't happy with that at all. He was then asked questions about whether he had instructed his attorneys that there should be no Muslims interrogated in preparation for this. Moussaoui said that that's correct, he did not want to draw Muslims into what he described as a hot situation in the United States in the aftermath of 9/11. That's about as far as it's gotten thus far.
The court is going to break in about a half hour's time so Mr. Moussaoui can pray. We certainly expect him to be back on the stand this afternoon. There would appear to be a lot more ground to cover.
Back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Jeanne, at all phases of this trial, Zacarias Moussaoui has had different outbursts of bad behavior in the courtroom. How would you classify his behavior today?
MESERVE: Well, he did have an outburst at the end of the morning session, where we heard a corrections expert testify about what life would be like for Moussaoui were he to spend the rest of his life in jail. Moussaoui at the conclusion of that session: "Victory for Moussaoui. God curse you all." Then we came back from the break. He was put on the witness stand. He's been very composed, very even in all of his comments thus far. No outbursts at all -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So defense attorneys are questioning him now? Will prosecutors have a chance as well?
MESERVE: Yes, they will. They will have their chance whenever the defense concludes its questioning. But we have no idea when exactly that will be -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jeanne Meserve in Alexandria, Virginia. We look forward to hearing more what takes place in that courtroom. Thank you.
I'm Daryn Kagan. International news coming up in just a second. Stay tuned for YOUR WORLD TODAY. And then I'll be back with the latest headlines from here in the U.S. in about 20 minutes. See you then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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